Caroline van der Leeuw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Caroline van der Leeuw
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Van der Leeuw singing in Hilversum, 2013
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw |
| Also known as | Caro Emerald |
| Born | 26 April 1981 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Grandmono Records |
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (born April 26, 1981) is a Dutch pop and jazz singer. She is famous for her work as Caro Emerald and is now part of a music project called The Jordan. She has been singing professionally since 2007 and mostly performs in English.
She became famous in 2009 with her first single, "Back It Up". Her next song, "A Night Like This", was a number-one hit in the Netherlands and other countries.
Her first album as Caro Emerald, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, came out in 2010. It was a huge success. The album stayed at number one on the Dutch album charts for 30 weeks. This broke the record previously held by Michael Jackson's famous album Thriller. In 2013, she released her second album, The Shocking Miss Emerald, which also reached number one in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Training
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Her father is Dutch and her mother is from Aruba. She loved music from a young age and started taking singing lessons when she was 12. As a teenager, she joined a girls' singing group called Les Elles.
After high school, she studied to become a jazz singer at the Amsterdam Conservatory, a famous music school. She graduated in 2005.
Caroline has two daughters, born in March 2014 and August 2017.
Music Career
2007–2008: How It All Started
In 2007, a Dutch producer named Jan van Wieringen asked Caroline to sing on a new track. The song was called "Back It Up". It was written by producer David Schreurs and songwriter Vince Degiorgio. They thought her jazzy voice was a perfect fit for the song's hip-hop beat.
At first, no record labels wanted to release the song. But when a demo was shared online, radio stations started playing it. People all over the world began to notice.
Realizing they had a special sound, the team decided to create a whole album. They started writing in 2008. Their music was a mix of 1940s and 50s jazz, Latin music, and modern beats. Caroline was inspired by singers like The Andrews Sisters, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan.
2009–2012: Becoming Caro Emerald
Since record labels weren't interested, producer David Schreurs started his own label, Grandmono. They released "Back It Up" as the first single on July 6, 2009. The song was an instant hit in the Netherlands.
Caro Emerald's first album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, was released in January 2010. It went straight to number one on the Dutch album charts. The album was so popular that it broke a record held by Michael Jackson's Thriller. It spent a total of 30 weeks at the top of the charts.
The album sold hundreds of thousands of copies in the Netherlands, earning it a "sextuple platinum" award. The second single, "A Night Like This", also became a number-one hit.
The album was later released across Europe and was very successful. It was a top 10 hit in the UK and Germany. Because of its unique, movie-like sound, the music was used in many TV shows, movies, and commercials, including The Vampire Diaries and Agent Carter.
2013–2014: The Shocking Miss Emerald
In April 2013, Caro Emerald released her second album, The Shocking Miss Emerald. It featured popular singles like "Tangled Up" and "Liquid Lunch". This album was another huge success, reaching number one on the album charts in both the UK and the Netherlands.
In 2014, she performed at the famous Glastonbury Festival in the UK, one of the biggest music festivals in the world.
2015–2020: New Music and Tours
In 2015, Caro Emerald released the single "Quicksand". Two years later, in 2017, she released a special collection of songs called an EP. It was titled Emerald Island and had a tropical, exotic sound. The EP was made to go along with her "Emerald Island Tour."
In 2020, she released a new single called "Wake Up Romeo."
2022–Present: A New Chapter as The Jordan
In August 2022, Caroline van der Leeuw revealed a new music project called The Jordan. This marked a new direction in her music career.
Her first album as The Jordan, titled Nowhere Near the Sky, was released in February 2023. The official Caro Emerald website stated that the Caro Emerald project was no longer active.
Awards
Throughout her career, Caroline has won many awards for her music. Here are some of them:
- Edison Award for Best Female Singer (2010)
- MTV Europe Music Award for Best Dutch and Belgian Act
- European Border Breakers Award for her success outside the Netherlands (2011)
- Goldene Kamera for Best International Music (2012)
- Echo Award for Best International Newcomer (2012)
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL |
AUS | AUT |
BEL (FLA) |
FRA |
GER |
ITA |
IRE |
POL | SWI |
UK |
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| Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor |
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1 | — | 3 | 23 | 79 | 5 | 14 | 39 | 3 | 10 | 4 |
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| The Shocking Miss Emerald |
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1 | 69 | 3 | 31 | 166 | 3 | 21 | 71 | 17 | 3 | 1 |
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| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||||||||
Live albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL |
AUT |
POL | ||
| Live at the Heineken Music Hall (with the Grandmono Orchestra) |
51 | 65 | 34 | |
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| NL |
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| Emerald Island |
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40 |
| MO x Caro Emerald By Grandmono |
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52 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | ITA |
BEL |
FRA |
GER |
AUT |
POL |
SK |
ROM |
SWI |
UK |
CZ |
ZK |
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| "Back It Up" | 2009 | 13 | 11 | 33 | — | 70 | — | — | 53 | — | — | 190 | — | — |
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Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor |
| "A Night Like This" | 1 | 10 | 52 | — | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 9 | 65 | — | — |
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| "That Man" | 2010 | 29 | 99 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 84 | — | — | ||
| "Stuck" | 28 | 18 | — | — | 41 | 42 | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |
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| "Riviera Life" | 2011 | 70 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "You're All I Want For Christmas" (with Brook Benton) |
26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Tangled Up" | 2013 | 6 | 13 | 62 | — | 81 | — | — | — | 53 | — | 77 | 9 | — |
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The Shocking Miss Emerald |
| "Liquid Lunch" | — | — | 64 | 182 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | — | 89 | |||
| "One Day" | — | — | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 152 | |||
| "I Belong to You" | 99 | — | 131 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Ne Me Quitte Pas" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Coming Back as a Man" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Shocking Miss Emerald | ||
| "Quicksand" | 2015 | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Whatchugot" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Emerald Island | |
| "Wake Up Romeo" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released. | ||||||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Caro Emerald para niños
